Spiritual Journeys

Deepen your faith through travel

On a Spiritual Journey, travelers refresh mind, body, and spirit: ready to share how the tour deepened their faith and enriched their lives. Groups enjoy a unique fellowship as they experience the sites of their faith in the context of their heritage. And they return enriched and inspired!

Who takes Spiritual Journeys?

For more than three decades, Witte has operated tours for pastors and their congregations, religious organizations, scholars, historians, and family groups who desire to add a spiritual dimension to their travels.

What is a Spiritual Journey?

Each tour is a made-to-order combination of religious activities, popular attractions, hidden treasures, and free time. Whether it’s a pilgrimage to a holy site, an in-depth study tour, or an adventure amid the beauty, history, and culture of a region or country, it’s a blessing on every level.

Why take a Spiritual Journey with Witte?

Each Spiritual Journey is a custom combination of activities that reflect your study, spirituality, and goals.

Our four-step process makes planning a Spiritual Journey stress-free. Throughout the process, Witte Travel & Tours is here to help, assist, and guide you with your travel arrangements. We take care of the details, including passenger registration and preparing your group for travel. We’ll be in steady communication, supporting your efforts. Rest assured, we adjust to last-minute realities, and will have you on your way before you know it!

Dialogue

Sharing your dreams, ideas, needs, and wants with your Group Tour Specialist is the exciting first step. Together we’ll discuss inclusions, ideas and ways of blending teachings with travel to provide a spiritually enriching journey for your travelers.

Proposal

After gaining an understanding of your spiritual-journey goals, we’ll put together a travel proposal. This includes the itinerary, details on trip components, pricing and payment options.

Promotion

Once the proposal is accepted, we create a promotional brochure and online registration for you to promote your tour and take reservations. This is an easy way for you to invite interest for your tour.

Travel

Departure day at last! Sit back relax and enjoy the tour. Witte Travel & Tours’ staff will ensure your spiritual journey is a trip with memories that will last a lifetime.

Don’t take our word for it

“A great experience—so rich in terms of places and sites visited in Turkey. Great leadership with Meltim, Jeff and Aaron. Teaching on Paul and John top notch. Great people to travel with. A most memorable and enriching time in a thoroughly holistic way.”

“Bill Vanden Bosch tried to connect the sightseeing with the Bible and Jesus’ teaching at every step of the way, which made the trip very meaningful. Bill and Lyn are most capable and thoughtful leaders, which made the trip very enjoyable.”

Wen-Jin and Roberta Cheng | Travelers, In the Steps of Jesus: Pilgrimage to Israel

Places to Go

Connecting mind, body and soul can take place just about anywhere in Creation! Our most popular destinations feature classic sites of historical and spiritual significance.

Oberammergau

Relive the stories of the Bible in the very places where they took place. Recall both Old and New Testament teachings while exploring Arad, Ein Gedi, the Garden of Gethsemane, Nazareth, Jerusalem, and Petra. The natural and manmade beauty of Israel and Jordan will also leave a lasting impression.

Lands from the Bible

Israel

Relive the stories of the Bible in the very places where they took place. Recall both Old and New Testament teachings while exploring Arad, Ein Gedi, the Garden of Gethsemane, Nazareth, Jerusalem, and Petra. The natural and manmade beauty of Israel and Jordan will also leave a lasting impression.

Greece

Follow in the footsteps of Paul, stopping at sites of the Early Church. Greek cities like Thessaloniki, Philippi, and Corinth are the backdrop for some of the Apostle’s most powerful letters and teachings. A pilgrimage to Greece will foster a deeper understanding of Christianity along with an experience of the country’s cultural and historic heritage.

Turkey

As the gateway from east to west, Turkey is an alluring spiritual destination. The ministries of Apostles John and Paul intersect in Ephesus, and sacred places such as the Cave of the Apocalypse in Patmos, Colossae, Smyrna, and Cappadocia stand witness to a living faith. A beacon for sojourners, Turkey is a place to explore lessons of the New Testament.

Reformation Tours

Germany

Walk with Martin Luther on a pilgrimage across the land he loved. Places like Wittenberg, Eisenach, Erfurt, Leipzig, Eisleben, Worms, and Augsburg contain numerous historical and religious treasures and will lead you on an amazing course of spiritual growth. As you ponder the significance of the Great Reformer’s life and work, you will also enjoy Germany’s rich culture and its hearty cuisine.

France

Born in France, John Calvin spent most of his ministry in Switzerland. Trace his life and the development of his Reformed thinking from his birthplace in Noyon through Paris and Orléans—where he was educated—and Strasbourg to Geneva. It was here that Calvin wrote and preached to audiences eager for his teaching. As you experience the Calvin of history, you’ll gain a deeper insight into his continuing relevance.

Britain

Track down the heritage of your denomination in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Explore the life and times of John and Charles Wesley and the development of Methodism. Worship in Edinburgh, the home of John Knox, the Father of the Presbyterian Church. Delve into Baptist and Puritan history in and around London and throughout England, Scotland and Wales. Visit sites connected with contemporary Christian writers such as C.S. Lewis. Relax and reflect at a remote island abbey or ancient cathedral—If you listen carefully, you’ll hear the voices of the earliest Christians coming down through the ages.

Catholic Pilgrimages

Italy

Many spiritual journeys to Italy begin with a visit to Vatican City, the small yet powerful independent state at the heart of the Catholic Church. Stand in awe at St. Peter’s Basilica and take in one of the world’s richest sacred art collections at the Vatican Museums. Contemplate the lives of early Christians at the Catacombs and attend Mass at one of Rome’s magnificent cathedrals. Later, you’ll want to stroll through St. Francis’ Assisi or the Siena of St. Catherine; marvel at Da Vinci’s Last Supper in Milan or Padua’s Scrovegni Chapel or the Gates of Paradise in Florence. As your gift of faith expands, so, too, will you be infused with the charm of the Italian countryside, a love of the beautiful cities, and an appreciation of the wonderful food and wine.

France

See the Scriptures depicted in sculptures and stained glass in the breathtaking cathedrals of Paris, Chartres, and Reims. These sublime spaces, with their brilliant symbols of God’s glory, leave worshippers and visitors in rapt awe. Pilgrims traveling in France can walk in the footsteps of St. Vincent de Paul, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, or St. Joan of Arc, and celebrate France’s rich history and cultural heritage along the way.

Spain

Pilgrims have been making their way to Spain since the Middle Ages. A walk along the Camino de Santiago, a visit to the marvelous the Cathedral of Toledo, or an exploration of the Monasteries of Yuso and Suso give rise to spiritual growth through worship, culture, and nature. Spain’s rich sacred history and its many wonderful architectural interpretations of the grandeur of the Creator are yours along with opportunities to experience the country’s laid-back atmosphere and delightful cuisine. [/pane][pane id=”Portugal”]Known for its devotion to St. Mary, Portugal’s religious artifacts, cathedrals, and shrines make it an excellent destination for a Catholic spiritual journey. Take in Fátima, the city of peace, where the Blessed Mother appeared in 1917; or Braga, site of the oldest cathedral dedicated to Mary. Pilgrims in Portugal will also want to visit St. Jerome’s Monastery in Lisbon and the Santarem’s Church of St. Stephen, which contains evidence of a 13th-century Eucharistic miracle. Experience God’s love amid the warmth, scenic beauty, and unique culture of Portugal.

Poland

Start your pilgrimage in Wadowice, the birthplace of Karol Józef Wojtyla. Then it’s on to Krakow where he served as Bishop, Archbishop, and Cardinal before becoming Pope John II. The city is replete with inspiring religious sites such as Wawel Cathedral, the Church of the Virgin and the Church of Divine Mercy, one of the world’s youngest and most popular Catholic shrines. Later on your journey, you will probably also want to visit Czestochowa’s Jasna Gora Monastery. With its renowned Black Madonna taking pride of place, Jasna Gora is considered the heart of the Catholic Church in Poland.